Tonight is what the Camden Fringe is all about; two half hour segments from two different comedy artistes offering a peek at what the full hour could be like.
While Sanders and Stubbins are both solo performers, they also have decent chemistry as a duo.
While Sanders and Stubbins are both solo performers, they also have decent chemistry as a duo. They open their show with a fun version of pin the tail on the donkey. The donkey in question is a member of the audience. It’s a canny move that welcomes and involves the crowd at the same time.
Rachel Stubbins is up first, she’s an instantly likeable straight talking stand-up who plays the mid-thirties unhinged-cat-lady quite well. She’s able to deliver a few cock gags without sounding angry and we’re offered a glimpse of her childhood of being bullied by her brothers
Occasionally Stubbins’ drops into surrealism with tales of her stoned granny, old sayings and talking hands. Her stories of being invited to a poo party and licking Ian Hislop’s balls make for some very decent but icky laughs.
While Stubbins is often dead centre stage, Lou Sanders is the polar opposite. Her act cuts the rare figure of being a bundle of energy without being annoying
Indeed she switched from being a straight stand-up to a one-woman sketch show and back more than several times. Not bad going for the time limitations.
Unfortunately her school play routine was very similar to a more famous piece by Stephen Merchant; the real shame was that Sanders’ take on it is so much better
Sometimes her sketches are little more than shaggy dog stories but this format proves to be endearing. An imagined confrontation with her right wing vagina is a little sloppy (!) but the character of Genderless Michael is cracking roast of the hipster scene.
Sanders is a confident and skilled performer who occasionally launches into Anarchy Cabaret. Her closing skit involves her being poured in sugar and chair dancing to Def Leppard.
One slightly down point was that there was no ‘joint goodbye’ from both of the performers, which left the show with an untidy vibe, otherwise it’s calamity, comedy and fun.
